Defenses Will Shine in Tulane vs. Cincinnati

Tulane vs. Cincinnati, 12 ET

College football has a large slate on this post-Thanksgiving day. We kick off the day with the only matchup between two ranked teams. I don't know about you, but I'm preparing a leftover sandwich and going to just sit on the couch and watch games the entire day.

Tulane comes into this game with a 9-2 record and a chance to host the ACC championship game. This is not going to be an easy game for Tulane though. Cincinnati hosts one of the longest home winning streaks in the country and has a chance to extend that here. In order for Tulane to steal this game, they need to rely on their running game which has been awesome this month specifically, but most of the season as well. Running back Tyjae Spears is only a few yards from 1,000 on the year and 12 touchdowns. The Bearcats allow 134.9 rushing yards per game on average, so it could be a bit of a difficult game for Tulane to get things moving. Michael Pratt, Tulane's quarterback, will also have an opportunity to make an impact on the game. Pratt has done a great job of protecting the ball this season, and while the Cincy defense is good, Pratt can attack both the ground and through the air.

Cincinnati lost a step on offense this season, but they haven't been terrible. Quarterback Ben Bryant has done an admirable job of filling in and has accumulated 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Tulane's passing defense has been fairly stingy for the season, and this might be one of the tougher games that Bryant has. In order for them to win, the defense will obviously need to step up, but their offense will need to be multifaceted. The Bearcats average 270 passing yards per game, which will be tough to do against Tulane, and only 127.9 yards on the ground. The rushing game for Cincy will need to be more involved and I think it is a point of weakness for Tulane's defense.

These offenses are both talented, but the defense might be a little more successful in this game. With both of them being tough, I think the best look in this game is the under. I'm going to play under 47 in this game.

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